Sidney Lowe: The Lowdown On His Arrest For Tax Evasion

By Horran Cameron

Bob Donnan-USA Today Sports

Sidney Lowe is a former college basketball player (1979-1983) and former college basketball coach for North Carolina State University (2006-2011). He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1983 NBA Draft. Lowe played for four different NBA teams in a span of five-year career.

News has now emerged however, that Lowe has been arrested and charged with tax evasion, while failing to file over the course of the past three years.

Lowe was a guard on the 1983 NCAA National Championship team that was coached by the legendary Jim Valvano. The bulk of Lowe’s coaching has been at the professional level. He has been an NBA assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves(1991-1993; 2003-2005), Cleveland Cavaliers (1994-1999), Detroit Pistons (2005-2006) and Utah Jazz (2011-present). He was a NBA head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves (1993-1994) and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies (2000-2002).

As a head coach, Lowe was not that successful. His maintains a 33-102 overall record as Minnesota’s head coach and 79-228 overall record as N.C. State’s head coach. While coaching N.C. State, Lowe was unable to take them to the NCAA Tournament.

Lowe failed to file his state tax returns for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. According to WRAL, Lowe was earning $500,000 a year by the end of his tenure at N.C. State. Lowe faces three misdemeanor counts, in addition to having a $10,000 bond. His current salary has not been reported as of yet.

Details at this time are unknown as to whether he will retain his position as an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz, after his arrest went public.

The arrest is shocking, as it would be in any regard. Lowe, who was a former star for the Wolfpack as a player, had his difficulties as a coach. This latest news involving his arrest is only another disappointing chapter for him. Lowe was virtually sent packing for his Alma Mater after the program’s struggles with him behind the bench.

North Carolina State has become very successful, very quickly under Mark Gottfried, so this latest story is only the tell-all that the university made the right decision.